The Rescue Academy
by Sapphire Flare
Summary: When he ran off into the wilderness, he hadn't known that he would end up joining the institution that had ripped his life apart – the Rescue Academy. And he certainly hadn't known that he would become involved with a battle of the gods themselves...
1. Chapter One: Arrival

**CHAPTER 1:**

_**Arrival**_

The young Quilava stared at the dark mass that was approaching swiftly on the horizon, a feeling of cold dread in the pit of his stomach. With each beat of the Salamence's wings, the indistinct silhouette in the distance became clearer, and his doom crept even closer. Soon enough, he was able to make out the shapes of forests, hills, lakes, and rivers scattered across the island…

He clutched desperately at the dragon's blue scales as if clinging to the fragments of his previous life. The flames on his head and rear ignited, fueled by his emotions, though they flickered uncertainly, struggling to remain alive as the air rushed past. The wind's mournful keening only added to his sense of impending doom.

He barely paid attention to the weak flickering of his flames, and the wailing of the wind faded into background noise – his attention was focused completely on the distant island. He could almost make out the shapes of individual trees now, and shivered at the sight of them. Those trees were not the ones that he had grown up among – they were strange trees, unfamiliar trees, and he hated them already.

It occurred to him that the Salamence was gradually decreasing their height, preparing to land. If they had still been at their original height, he would never have been able to make out the shape of the island through the clouds.

The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach grew stronger.

With each powerful flap of its wings, the Salamence was bringing him closer and closer to his doom.

Unable to watch the island approach any longer, he flattened himself against the Salamence's back, hiding from both the wind and from his future.

_Please, please let this flight go on forever… don't ever land, just keep flying here forever… or, better yet, just turn around and drop me off at the Square again… please… please… _the Quilava pleaded silently. _Please, Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, anyone… please…_

But the legendary gods had either ignored his prayers or just didn't care, because all too soon, the Salamence stopped and hovered in place, flapping its wings more slowly than before. They were directly over the island now, and even closer to land than before.

In an absurdly cheerful voice, the Salamence sealed his doom, confirmed his fears, and tore away all hopes of returning home, or even flying forever.

It spoke the two words he had been dreading for the entire flight.

"We're here!"

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><p><strong>Aaaand… welcome to <strong>_**The Rescue Academy!**_

**Chapter One was rather short, but I promise that the chapters afterward are going to be longer.**

**This is **_**not **_**going to be your typical PMD fic: there is no human-turned**-**Pokémon and there is no memory loss involved here. This is the story of two normal ****Pokémon joining forces to form a rescue team.**

**Did I just say **_**rescue team? **_**Yep, I certainly did. I personally preferred Red/Blue Rescue Team to Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, so this isn't from the PoV of an exploration team.**

**Yeah. Go ahead. Shoot me.**

**But review afterwards~! :D **


	2. Chapter Two: Landing

**Thanks to Zoeten for reviewing! This will **_**not**_** be a "true school fic" – it's going to be PMD, though with mostly normal Pokémon. No former humans with amnesia here. And I might be accepting OCs later on. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2:<strong>

_**Landing**_

Up until recently, Flash had been a perfectly normal young Quilava.

He had been as rowdy and mischievous as the other Pokémon his age, playing massive games of hide-and-seek in the streets of Pokémon Square, listening to Whiscash's wild tales of adventure, devouring any food that was set before him, and generally getting into everything – whether good or bad. With his closest group of friends, he had spent long hours at the foot of the cliffs, playing by and even in the ocean (though those occasions were extremely rare, seeing as he was a fire-type). He had even gotten to know the rescue teams around the area, and had managed to befriend Charizard of the legendary Team ATC.

The key word being _had. _

His parents had torn it apart with two very simple words. They had even been smiling when they ripped his life into pieces.

The happy grin had melted off his face, replaced by a look of disbelief as they told him – then it had turned into shock as he absorbed the full meaning of their words. And finally, he had stared at them with utter horror as he fully comprehended what those two words meant – those two, painfully simple words that tore apart his life.

"We're moving!"

He had been yanked away from everything he knew and was heading straight for a completely unfamiliar place – a place that he already hated with every fiber of his being, a place that he had looked at with not only dread, but with _disgust, _as he approached from the air.

And now he was here.

Flash felt numb with shock, unable to do anything more than clutch tighter as the Salamence turned into a steep dive. His mind whirled and his heart raced as the air rushed past them at a frighteningly swift pace, though he couldn't summon the energy to do anything more than whimper.

Almost as if she had heard him, the Salamence slowed, spreading her wings out more to catch the wind. Flash's tension only grew worse, though – he could now make out the shapes of individual trees, and the fact that his doom was so close terrified him.

"You all right?" asked the Salamence, flapping her massive swings slowly. "We're landing now, but I promise that I won't go as quickly as before."

She had evidently misinterpreted his terror, thinking that the dive downwards had scared them. In part, it had, but that wasn't the real reason he was so tense and frightened.

"I'm okay," Flash managed to mumble.

"I was just asking because you were holding my scales awfully tight." The dragon sounded worried.

"I'm fine." Flash loosened his grip and winced, noticing that the sharp edges had cut into his paws without him noticing it.

The dragon gave a nod – at least, he thought it was a nod, since he couldn't really tell from the back – and began to fly downwards again.

Flash focused completely on nursing his injured paws, licking them and then squeezing Oran juice onto the cuts. His mother had insisted on him bringing along some berries and fruit, even though he had protested. The flight had been too nerve-wracking for him to even consider eating; at least one of the berries was being put to good use now

He was so absorbed in his work, in fact, that he wasn't expecting the impact of landing, which nearly made him fall off the Salamence's back.

He steadied himself by clutching at the dragon's scales again, refusing to look around. Just seeing the unfamiliar trees and the unfamiliar sky and the unfamiliar ground would confirm the fact that he was here and that this wasn't just a dream.

Then his parents rushed over.

"Flash, dear! How was the flight? We encountered a little turbulence in the middle, but it was pleasant otherwise!" babbled his mother, beaming at him.

"Isn't it nice here? I've been here multiple times before with the team. You'll have a great time here, I promise." His father, a Typhlosion like his mate, was equally as cheerful.

Flash mumbled replies to his parents, barely listening to them, as he was forced to do the inevitable – examine his surroundings.

All he could see was trees, though. They _were_ strange trees, nothing like the familiar ones he had grown up around, but they weren't very intimidating. The fact that he could burn them down if he wanted to made him feel a little better.

"The Pokémon who came up with the Salamence Air Ferry idea must have been a _genius_," chirped his mother, jolting him out of his thoughts. "Transportation is so easy! It would have taken days to get across the ocean on the back of a water Pokémon. Flying is much quicker."

Flash realized that she was talking to the Salamence she had ridden on – a large female with a massive wingspan that _was_ quite intimidating, unlike the local plant life.

"Yes, the business certainly does make traveling easier," agreed the Salamence. "The pay is good, and it takes almost no effort, too, unlike we're being asked to carry around a Torterra or Golem or anything large and heavy like that."

The Salamence Air Ferry business had been set up a while before Flash was born. Someone had realized that traveling by land or by sea wasn't as fast as traveling by air, and had set up a whole business for easy transportation. Salamence, being good fliers and large Pokémon, were ideal for carrying Pokémon around, and so they became the company's "air ferries." They weren't the only ones, though – other winged Pokémon and flying-types were pleased to help out.

There was one office in most cities and towns, cold locations, very small villages, and extremely secluded areas being the only exceptions. It was a good idea, Flash had to admit, even though it had torn him away from his home.

"You look so grumpy, Flash! Cheer up! This is our _new home_, and it's going to be amazing here!" The voice of Flash's father broke into his thoughts.

"New home. Yeah." _This place will_ never _be home to me, _Flash thought angrily.

He glanced at his father, though the look ended up being a glare. It was because of Blaze that they had been forced to move.

Blaze was a common, generic name for fire-types. Blaze himself, however, was not. He was a member of a famous rescue team – a fact that Flash had always admired him for – and would certainly stand out in a crowd of other fire-types named Blaze.

But the Rescue & Exploration Team Federation – a group of retired explorers and rescuers who supervised all rescue and exploration teams – had relocated the rescue team to Silvermoon Heights. Blaze and his mate, Amber, were very excited about the move; Flash, to put it simply, was not.

"Flash? You're looking even grumpier than before," commented Blaze.

Flash glared at his feet, refusing to look at his father. "I hate it here. I want to go back to the Square."

"Don't be silly. Silvermoon Heights is much better than you think it is," chirped his mother, having finished her conversation with the Salamence. "The forest is absolutely beautiful, for one – and the view is breathtaking. Not to mention the fact that the town is swarming with as many rescue teams as Pokémon Square!"

"I know that you miss your friends, but I promise that Silvermoon Heights is going to be even better the Square," said his father. "It's amazing here, it really is. I know you'll like it."

He hated it already.

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><p><strong>And that's Chapter Two!<strong>

**If it's still confusing, I apologize, but everything will get explained in the next few chapters.**

**Happy Thanksgiving, by the way! Since I'm on holiday break until Monday, you can expect quick updates for a while.**


	3. Chapter Three: Silvermoon Heights

_**Water-Merit**_**: Thanks! I haven't been describing much of anything because Flash is freaking out so much that he isn't really paying attention to his surroundings. There will be a better description of Silvermoon Heights in this chapter, though. And his bad attitude combined with the Rescue Academy, as well as his rescue team partner, is going to be… very interesting. **

_**Zoeten: **_**There will be some elements of school life in here, but not too much, seeing as the Academy is more of a Wigglytuff's Guild sort of thing than school. And, if I do start accepting OCs, I won't accept every single character – that would just get ridiculous. I promise that I won't ruin the fic by introducing someone new every three sentences.**

_**Penny Tee13: **_**I'm glad that you think I describe Flash's emotions so well! It's true that he doesn't enjoy change, but he'll get used to it after a while. His team partner will make that clear.**

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Now on with the chapter~**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE:<strong>

_**Silvermoon Heights**_

Long ago, Silvermoon Forest had been nothing but a barren wasteland, mostly flat except for a single plateau in the very center. Over time, plants had taken over the area – mainly trees with silver bark such as aspens and birches, hence the forest's name. The plateau had been left alone, though, with only a few plants growing upon it. Those that did grow there relied completely on the river that ran through the center for water.

Then the Pokémon had come, bringing exotic plants with them, and Silvermoon Heights had been created. Eventually, it had turned from a small village into a lively town, and then had become a "rescue town," mostly inhabited by rescue teams and their families. The Rescue Academy, a school designed to train aspiring rescuers, had even been founded here.

For the first time, Flash could see why the original settlers had chosen to come here, of all places. The view of the forest was, as his mother had described, breathtaking, and the town just looked so… natural.

Most of the buildings were made of wood and were draped with ivy, giving the whole town a much greener appearance than Pokémon Square had had. The river than ran through the middle didn't seem to split the town in half; rather, it added to the natural look of the area, making it seem like Silvermoon Heights really was part of Silvermoon Forest. Yet the fact that it was higher than the treetops gave it a certain independence from the forest that surrounded it.

Flash felt a little bit of his tension draining away as he scanned the town that was supposed to become his home. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to live here, after all…

_No, that's not true. Silvermoon Heights will _never _be my home – I belong in Pokémon Square, not here! _Flash thought fiercely. The flames on his head and rear sparked, threatening to ignite fully, though he made an effort to relax to prevent that. Fire in the woodland could only lead to one thing: _forest fire. _

Beside him, Amber gave a little gasp. "Oh, I've forgotten how _beautiful_ it is here! It's been so long seen we last visited, hasn't it, Blaze?"

"For _you,_ maybe. Don't forget that we rescuers visit quite often." Blaze gazed about fondly. "The beauty of the view never wears off, though, no matter how many times you come here."

Flash felt the beauty wear off at that statement.

Scowling again, he switched his glare to his feet, trudging reluctantly after his parents as they began their trek from the Salamence Air Ferry office to their house. Supposedly. It seemed like his mother and father were intent on stopping at every tourist attraction to gape and gawk.

"This is one of the oldest statues in the world. It was made back when the first settlers came here," commented Blaze, jabbing a paw at a large lump of stone that Flash had dismissed as a boulder.

The Quilava frowned. "What is it?" _It just looks like a big rock to me._

"It's Celebi, the time traveler and guardian of forests." Blaze's smile grew dreamy. "When we were young and naïve, us Firestrikers went on many a mission chasing after her."

Sometimes, it was hard to believe that Blaze was the parent and Flash was the son.

"Team Firestrike weren't the only ones who went after Celebi, though." Amber paused to gaze at the so-called statue, too, her eyes misting over. "Many teams and solo travelers – mainly explorers – tried to find her, but she hid herself well."

Flash stared harder at the rock. The top of it was large and vaguely round, but that was all he could make out.

His parents continued dragging him through the town, pausing at everything that looked interesting. Inevitably, they came to a halt before a large stone building – one of the only few structures that were not made of wood. Multiple colorful banners hung all across its diameter.

"This is the Rescue Academy," said Blaze.

Flash glowered at it.

Perhaps it was a legendary training facility with a reputation for producing the best of rescuers, but Flash hated it with all of his heart. It was this institution that Blaze and Team Firestrike had been reassigned to. Apparently, they were needed here to help supervise the trainees, as well as being required to assist with the growing number of outlaws and rescue requests in the area.

"You look like you're trying to melt the stone with your eyes," commented his mother lightly. Her euphoria from earlier had evidently faded, something that Flash was glad for. Ember was almost unbearable when she was babbling like she had just eaten a barrel full of Pecha berries.

"I am," Flash retorted, turning away from the building. "Can we go to our house already?"

He carefully avoided calling their new house "home." This stupid forest town would _never _be his home, as far as he was concerned.

Blaze and Amber exchanged glances but said nothing. This time, when they continued on, they didn't stop to look at anything of interest (and many things that were not).

* * *

><p>Their new house, which had once belonged to an old Emboar, was also built of stone (very flammable wood, combined with fire-types, was a recipe for disaster, after all). However, it felt like a cave inside, and also smelled terrible.<p>

Flash examined the interior, feeling hollow. Was this smelly stone mess supposed to be a replacement for the cozy home they had left behind at the Square?

His mother's immaturity rose to the surface again as she saw the inside of the house. She began to squeal like a Wailord had sat on her, dancing about with an unnaturally large smile on her face. "Oh my Arceus! It's so amazing in here! This place is perfect for our family! And the view is so beautiful and the river is so pretty and the house is so big and roomy and wonderful!"

Blaze, being slightly calmer, looked about with a bright grin on his face. "It's a shame that us Firestrikers have to go to the Rescue Academy tomorrow. I wish I could spend more time here. I love how big it is – it's much better than our old house."

Flash began to feel sick, even more so than he had felt during the flight. The walls of the cave-house-thing seemed to be closing in on him, filling him with an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia.

He needed to get out.

_Now._

Checking behind him to make sure that his parents were still distracted by how "amazing" their so-called "new home" was, he began to cautiously sneak towards the open entrance. As soon as he was close enough, he slipped outside, leaving his parents behind.

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><p><strong>I know it's boring so far, but I promise that there will finally be some action next chapter. ...like a mystery dungeon! :D<br>**


	4. Chapter Four: Stare of the Dragoness

**Zoeten: I'm sorry that the first few chapters have been boring. The beginning is slow, but there's going to be plenty of action soon.**

**Thanks to Zoeten for reviewing! Now here's Chapter Four~**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<strong>

_**Stare of the Dragoness**_

It was easy to sneak through the streets of the town without his head and rear ablaze. While brightly colored fire-types would be probably conspicuous, he blended right in with the other Pokémon. Nobody suspected that he had just run away from his parents.

_Running away. _The thought hadn't occurred to him before, but he definitely liked the sound of it. Once he got off this plateau and hid himself in the forest, nobody would ever find him.

He slowed his steps, frowning. It sounded like a ridiculous idea at first, but it was beginning to sound better, now that he thought about it. He could live off of the berries and plants in the forest, and could drink from the river... and he knew enough about battling to protect himself…

"Hey! Quilava!"

Flash flinched at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, complete with the strange Silvermoon Heights accent. He considered running and decided against it – he wasn't very fast – and turned to face the speaker instead.

A Charizard faced him.

The dragon loomed over him, with massive wings, a huge torso, and a tail that was longer than his body. Despite its massive size, there was something oddly feminine about the Charizard.

"I haven't seen you before, Quilava." The Charizard fixed him with a cool stare. "Where are you going?"

Flash stared back at her, his mouth open slightly. He found that he could not reply to this dragoness with her sharp blue eyes and intimidating size. Hating how stupid he probably looked, he desperately searched for a good response, but could come up with nothing.

Looking amused by his lack of response, the dragoness folded her wings. When they were tucked against her side, she looked significantly less menacing.

"Oh – oh, I'm, um, going out." Flash regained control of his tongue at last.

"Out," echoed the Charizard.

"Y-yeah. Out. Of the plateau, I mean," he added hurriedly.

The dragoness's eyes narrowed. For a moment, she looked like she was eyeing him suspiciously. Then she closed her eyes and snorted, causing a puff of smoke to rise from each of her nostrils. "You're not from around here, are you." It wasn't a question.

Figuring that it would be more dangerous to lie, or even to not reply at all, Flash nodded.

"I could tell from your accent." The dragoness opened her eyes again. "You're from Pokémon Square, if I'm correct."

He nodded again.

"And, of course, though you're trembling like a frightened Rattata, you clearly don't know who I am." The Charizard gave him a toothy smile that was significantly less soothing than it was probably supposed to be, seeing as he was now staring at two rows of sharp fangs that could easily tear through his flesh.

"Uh – um, should I know? Who you are, I mean." Flash hated how pathetic he sounded, but he simply couldn't help it. The dragoness's stare – and grin – was _scary._

The Charizard's smile broadened. "Yes, you should. Now, I assume that you're hopelessly lost here, aren't you?"

Flash stared at his paws, suddenly very interested in a pebble that was lying next to his left foot.

"Just follow the river and you'll come to the Diamond Waterfall. It's right next to the staircase that leads down from the town." The Charizard gave him another piercing stare. "And when you see him next, tell Blaze that I am looking forward to working with him."

She walked off, nonchalant as can be, leaving him shivering in her wake.

It took him several minutes to regain control of his body. When he finally had done so, he set off at an agonizingly slow pace, the memory of the dragoness's ice-blue stare haunting him whenever he closed his eyes.

Something about that female Charizard had been suspicious – the confidence in which she held herself, her sharp, knowing gaze, and she had said something odd, too…

_And when you see him next, tell Blaze that I am looking forward to working with him._

He came to a dead halt.

How did she know that he knew Blaze?

Did she know that he was Blaze's son?

Cold fear gripped him. He struggled to control himself, trying to calm down so that his flames wouldn't ignite, but to no avail. They sparked to life and began burning more fiercely than ever before, feeding off of his terror.

_Oh, Arceus! I'm dead! That Charizard knew my father, and she's going to tell him that I ran away! _He whirled around, searching desperately for the river that ran through the center of town. It had to be somewhere – he could hear it from here –

_There! _He could see a flash of blue just beyond a wooden hut.

Flash dropped to all fours and _bolted, _plowing straight through the garden by the side of the hut. Luckily, he was moving too fast for the plants to catch fire.

He was running faster than he had ever done before, fueled by his panic. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that he was running _too_ fast.

Upon spotting the river, he attempted to slow to a halt – but his momentum propelled him forward, resulting in him stumbling clumsily and eventually falling in.

Mere rain was painful for any fire-type. Falling into a river? _Excruciating. _

The water tingled at first – then the gentle sensation evolved into a burning pain that affected every area of his body. He splashed frantically, trying to swim, trying to _get out, _but the water was everywhere. He could not escape.

A mangled shriek tore itself from his throat. Then the icy pain became too much, and his vision faded to black.

* * *

><p>Flash awoke by the side of the river.<p>

He was lying on something prickly, and his fur felt heavy and wet. His ears pricked, and he listened to the sounds of the water flowing past.

The memory of the Charizard's stare came back to him. He immediately opened his eyes, banishing the image to the back of his mind, and rose unsteadily to his feet.

Forest surrounded him, mostly composed of aspens and birches and other silvery trees – he was clearly still in the Silvermoon Forest. However, Flash noticed that the ground was rockier than it was by the Heights.

The river curved here, straying from its usual path, and drained out into a massive pool, which was sheltered by walls of rock. It looked a lot like one of the coves he had seen before, though the water had been saltwater.

Flash glanced down at the prickly thing he had been lying on. He gave a yelp when he recognized it – a patch of thorny plants.

He hopped out, though the movement was unsteady, and his fur felt unnaturally heavy. _Stupid water._ He really hated rivers now.

Flash paused to look around again. Though he was just outside of the cove, he still had a good view of what was inside – or, at least, he _should_ have. Instead of being able to see a good amount of what was inside the rock walls, he could only see the part that was close to him. The rest was simply… not visible.

_That's odd._ He frowned, examining it to make sure it wasn't just his imagination. He had never heard of places just fading from someone's vision.

"Well, if I plan on running away, I'd better get used to seeing weird things like this," he said aloud, trying to dismiss the odd sight to the back of his mind. However, it continued to nag at him, even when he turned away.

Flash shuffled his feet, glancing back at it. _Why _could he only see a small part of the cove inside those rock walls?

_I should go and find out what's going on in there. A bit of exploring won't hurt, after all. _He looked around once more, surveying the forest, before heading decisively towards the cove. _I'll be able to figure out where the river dragged me after I check this out._

Little did he know that he was entering a place that travelers dreaded, most Pokémon feared, and many lost their minds in. Only a select few dared to venture within it, or places like it.

A mystery dungeon.

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><p><strong>So we meet the creepy-eyed-Charizardress-whose-name-I-cannot-reveal-yet, are introduced to our first mystery dungeon, and Flash jumps in a river. I think the story's going well! :D<strong>

**Next chapter, dungeons will be crawled, wild Pokémon will be owned, and we shall meet a very... _interesting_ character. It shall be very amusing, I promise~**


	5. Chapter Five: Diamond Cove

**japaneserockergirl: It annoys me how all of the PMD fics are the same – you don't necessarily have characters who used to be humans and have amnesia to have a good plot. Normal Pokémon can be just as interesting~**

**Penny Tee13: Ha, that's exactly right! Adventure awaits!**

**Zoeten: You'll see how he copes with a dungeon in this chapter. And yes, he does know a thing or two – he grew up around rescue teams in Pokémon Square, and his father did teach him a little, but he doesn't know all that much.**

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Now here's Chapter Five (and our very first mystery dungeon)!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE<strong>

_**Diamond Cove**_

_Floor 1_

The first thing Flash noticed was how _wrong _everything looked.

The water looked fresh and blue, the color of sapphires and lapis lazuli. The plants that grew all around were bright and healthy, their leaves a brilliant shade of emerald green, their stems strong and sturdy, their flowers just beginning to bloom. Even the ground was darker and thicker than usual, as if every grain of dirt was packed full of nutrients.

It was beautiful. It was _perfect, _in fact.

Too perfect.

Though it was pleasant to look at for a short time, Flash found that the unnatural beauty was starting to unnerve him. Nothing was this perfect; it simply wasn't possible. There was just something about the beauty of the surrounding landscape that was just eerie.

He glanced behind him, now beginning to seriously consider running straight out of there – but, to his horror, the entrance (or exit) had disappeared. It was as if the rock walls had just grown and had sealed it.

Flash stopped dead, staring with disbelief at the solid rock. This wasn't possible. Stone just didn't do that.

There was something really wrong about this place.

He shivered and continued on. The flames on his head and rear sparked and spluttered, but could not ignite – the water that still clung to his fur prevented them from flaring up again.

As he moved along, carefully avoiding the unnaturally beautiful plants and water, and even stepping lightly, he found himself humming old songs inside his head to calm himself. Most of them were happy, bright tunes; they lifted his mood and made the spookiness of this perfect place easier to bear, but only by a little.

He was so distracted by the songs that he was completely startled by the attack of another Pokémon.

Flash yelped and stumbled backwards, regaining his balance quickly enough to prevent himself from falling over, but not quickly enough. His assailant took advantage of his momentary weakness and struck again.

_Splashhh. _A stream of cold water struck him in the face.

Now _that_ hurt. Flash lashed out blindly, trying to destroy the source of that icy burning pain. When his claws met flesh, he lunged again, pinning his attacker to the ground and clawing again. Ignoring the pained squeals of his foe, he shook his head fiercely, trying to clear the water from his eyes.

Though technically Quilava didn't know Scratch, he was armed with claws and was going to use them. He lashed out again, growling savagely, and opened his eyes.

He found himself face-to-face with a Lotad, who was bleeding from several wounds all over its face and body. A strange brown gunk was oozing from cuts on its leaf.

The fact that he was attacking a fellow Pokémon kicked in. Flash leaped back, suddenly ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry, Lotad! You just startled me with your water attack! That's why I attacked. Can you forgive m-_waaah!"_

The Lotad had completely ignored his words and had attacked again with another stream of water. Flash ducked to the side again and pounced on it, holding it to the ground with a firm paw. "Listen to me, Lotad – stop attackin-"

He was interrupted by yet another blast of water to the face.

"Oh, that is _it!"_ Flash gave a frustrated growl and struck at the Lotad again, this time hitting it with a full-out Tackle. The small grass-and-water dual-type gave a warbling cry as it was knocked into the air.

Flash shook his head again. Though his face was still wet, his fur was drying off – his high body temperatures helped with evaporation. He would be able to use fire attacks now. And a good Ember would probably take that Lotad down.

He closed his mouth, focusing on his flames. Though they usually ignited whenever he felt extreme emotion, he could force them to burn with great effort.

At first, the flames sparked and sputtered, struggling to light up despite the amount of moisture in his fur. As he concentrated on the fire, the Lotad he was pinning down began to struggle more, trying to get out of his grip.

"No… you… don't!" Flash dodged another stream of water and smacked a paw down on its mouth, feeling a surge of irritation. Then the flames on his rear flared and came to life; those on his head stayed inactive.

_Good enough. _Flash growled, drawing the power from his flames to the back of his throat. Soon, an unbearable burning built up there, growing so hot and so fierce that he couldn't do anything but unleash that power.

He opened his mouth and a torrent of flames streamed from his maw. The Lotad shrieked and writhed as the fire engulfed it.

Flash maintained the Ember until he ran out of breath. Then he snapped his jaws shut and glared down at what remained of the Lotad.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as burnt as he had expected it to be – its second typing, water, had protected it from being completely obliterated by the Ember. However, it had still taken a good amount of damage – the leaf on its back was almost unrecognizable, and its face was covered with burns.

"Taa!" wailed the Lotad, writhing beneath him.

Flash released it, though it seemed to have lost its will to move around and simply stayed there. He stared down at its burnt body, feeling something like shock.

But even though his throat itched from the Ember, and despite the fact that he was ashamed to have hurt a fellow Pokémon so badly, he couldn't deny the excitement that he felt.

He had battled another Pokémon, would have killed it if it had not been a water-type… and he _liked _it.

* * *

><p><em>Floor 2<em>

Flash had come across a strange stone after traveling a little longer. Unlike the unnatural beauty of the rest of the cove, it had a worn, weather-beaten look to it. When he had touched it, he'd felt a tugging sensation in the pit of his stomach and, suddenly, some of the rock walls had melted away.

_This place really is unnatural. _Flash shivered, glancing back behind him, and stepped into the place where the rock had vanished. As soon as he had done so, the area he had traversed vanished, replaced by solid stone walls.

But it didn't disappear quickly enough for him to miss the flash of orange he saw moving swiftly towards him.

He quickly dismissed that as his imagination and turned back to investigate the rock wall. He pushed it, prodded it, even attempted to melt it with an Ember, but the stone refused to give up its secrets. And it felt like real rock, too.

"Where in Arceus's name am I?" he whispered.

He turned back to investigate the rest of the area and found himself facing yet another section of the cove – beautiful water in the middle, vibrant plants scattered around nearby, and what looked like Pokémon scurrying around.

"I can't believe anyone would want to live here," muttered Flash to himself, watching the Pokémon rush about with a good amount of caution. He could not forget how hostile the Lotad had been.

Why had it attacked him, anyways? Intelligent Pokémon did not attack each other, as a rule – only bandits and outlaws and other criminals did such a thing. Only the feral Pokémon that lived in mystery dungeons attacked each other…

His heart seemed to stop.

He felt unpleasantly cold.

Was he in a mystery dungeon?

_No… no! Only rescuers and explorers go in mystery dungeons. I would've known if I had entered one._

But… it was so strange here – the eerie beauty, the warping-stones, the rocks that moved, the hostile Pokémon…

Icy fear gripped him. He felt his heart thudding rapidly, felt his flames burning even more fiercely.

"Hey, Quilava! Why are you standing there like that?"

At the sound of the voice, Flash whirled and took on a battle-ready stance, dropping to his hind paws and preparing a quick attack. He found himself facing something that vaguely resembled the odd orange flash he had seen earlier – a Buizel.

"It's not wise to just laze around in the middle of a mystery dungeon," said the Buizel casually, as if remarking on the weather.

"M-mystery dungeon? So this place… really is one?" Flash's heart skipped a beat.

The Buizel trotted over to him, scanning the area cautiously before focusing his gaze on Flash again. "Oh, yeah. I was beginning to doubt your sanity when you walked in here, easy as you please, and right after falling in the river too! But you clearly didn't know that Diamond Cove was a dungeon."

"Diamond Cove?"

"That's what it's called, yeah." The Buizel gave him a nod. "I came here to rescue you from the dungeon."

Flash stared with disbelief at the odd Buizel, who looked to be about his age. He had only heard of a few Pokémon as young as they who had joined rescue teams and had actually been _successful_. "You're a member of a rescue team?"

The Buizel suddenly stared at his paws, looking bashful. "Um… sort of. Not really. No. I'm… kind of a solo rescuer. But… I don't really have a badge. So… yeah." He suddenly sounded much shyer than before, though it was hard to tell any emotions in that strange Silvermoon Heights accent.

And just like that, all of Flash's hopes of escape fell.

"So you can't rescue me?" he asked, disappointed. He glanced over his shoulder, watching the feral Pokémon with something like despair. Would he and this Buizel just become food for them? Dungeon Pokémon, he knew, wouldn't hesitate to kill and eat another Pokémon.

"Not really. But I can help you get through the dungeon." The Buizel's face suddenly lit up. "I want to be a member of a rescue team someday, so I came around here when Team Dragon reported that you had been swept away by the river."

"So you're not a real rescuer?" Flash glared at the Buizel, his paws clenching. "And you only came here so you could join a rescue team? And how did Team Whatsit know that I… uh… got in the river?" He stumbled uncertainly over his last few words, not wanting to make it sound like he had fallen into the river as a result of his own clumsiness.

"I'll explain along the way. We can't just sit around talking," said the Buizel. "The dungeon Pokémon will eventually notice us, so we'd better go and fight them before they start swarming us. That's called a Monster House."

After a moment's hesitation, Flash nodded and followed him.

* * *

><p><strong>Enter Typhoon (aka Typho) the Buizel, rescuer-to-be. He's going to be an interesting character, I promise~<strong>

**Hmm… I wonder who Team Dragon could be? *lips are sealed* :D **

**So, today is the last day of Thanksgiving break… no more daily updates, I'm afraid. Homework shouldn't be **_**too **_**brutal, but it will take up a good amount of my writing time. I'll try to update as quickly as I can, though~**


	6. Chapter Six: A New Ally

**I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I had much more schoolwork than I'd originally thought – tests in every class, an essay, and homework. Lots and lots of homework. I don't often have to do so much, though, so don't expect a week-long wait for new chapters.**

**Penny Tee13: Team Dragon will certainly be… **_**interesting **_**later on. And you can expect a change in Flash's moodiness in this chapter.**

**Zoeten: Basically, in mystery dungeons, you're forced to battle all sorts of wild Pokémon. They aren't sentient, though, which is a mystery in itself. I have all sorts of theories on why this is – you can expect to see a few later on. As for regretting the decision to help Typho out… we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?**

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing (and waiting), and here's Chapter Six!~**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX<strong>

_**A New Ally**_

_Floor 2 (continued)_

"So, my name's Typhoon. You can just call me Typho, though."

The Buizel glanced around cautiously before ducking behind a tree. Flash stared ahead, unsure of what had caused him to react so suddenly, when a small stream of water hit him from behind.

"Get back here!" hissed Typhoon, fixing him with a sharp glare.

The bewildered Quilava obeyed, though he shivered when he stepped into the shade of the tree. The overall _perfection _of the area still stunned and disturbed him – it felt wrong to take cover under these beautiful trees, each of which gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Why'd you do that?" he growled, turning to Typhoon and trying to banish all of his bad thoughts to the back of his mind.

Typhoon just pointed ahead.

At first, there was nothing, only the open path that they had been walking on only a few moments ago. Then Flash heard a strange chattering sound coming from further down the path. A moment later, a Taillow hopped leisurely into view, flapping its wings with each step it took.

"I don't want to fight any dungeon Pokémon," Typhoon whispered into Flash's ear. "They're vicious. They fight to kill, and show no mercy."

The Taillow glanced around, then tilted its head and made the chattering cry again. As if satisfied that nobody was around, it made a different sound – more like a trill – and bounced away, wings fluttering.

Typhoon relaxed visibly and made a move as if to step out of hiding, but the Taillow stopped and turned suddenly, fixing its beady eyes on him.

"Get ready to fight," the Buizel whispered.

Flash braced himself, trying to summon up enough emotion to make his flames leap to life. However, he noticed that the Taillow wasn't really looking at _them. _Its gaze was fixed nearby, but it didn't appear to be watching them.

Suddenly, the Taillow raised its wings and flew right past the two. Flash leaped back, his flames igniting, and nearly slammed into Typhoon. The Buizel gave a short yelp of alarm, but quickly cut off the noise.

The next thing Flash knew, there was an icy-burning pain in his back, and his flames had been extinguished. He whirled on Typhoon with a growl, but the Buizel held a paw to his mouth and pointed in front of them.

The Taillow had not noticed either Flash or Typhoon. Its attention was fixated on a small Wurmple, which was desperately wriggling away from him – but the worm's efforts were futile. With a satisfied squawk, the Taillow snapped it up in its beak.

Flash stared with a kind of horrified fascination as the Taillow ate the Wurmple, making triumphant trilling noises deep within its throat. The bug's soft body squished within the Taillow's beak – a sickening sound that made Flash nauseous.

In a sudden, impulsive movement, Flash lunged.

His flames sparked to life again as he confronted the bird, lashing out with his claws. The flying-type, caught by surprise, made no effort to defend itself at first – but then its survival instincts kicked in, and it whirled to attack.

The Taillow's wing hit Flash in the stomach. He recoiled, giving a grunt of pain.

"Tay!" screeched the bird, taking to the air and attempting to peck at him. Flash, with the breath knocked out of him, was unable to dodge in time. A strangled yowling noise tore itself from his throat as the Taillow struck the back of his head.

Suddenly, his flames flared up and increased in size, burning even stronger than before. The sudden boost in power startled the Taillow, which fell back, flapping its wings harder.

Then a blast of water caught it from behind.

The force of the attack jolted the bird forward. It lost all control of its flight and slammed down into the ground, wings splayed, beak gaping. Giving a last squawk, it slumped over and fainted.

Typhoon charged out from behind the tree. "Quilava! Why in Arceus's name did you _do _that? If that Taillow had been much stronger, it could've killed you!"

Flash didn't reply to the Buizel's question. His flames flickered and died down, leaving him feeling curiously nauseated and weak. He stumbled, dizzy.

"Sit down _now," _Typhoon commanded in a firmer voice than before. More to himself than anyone, he muttered, "I need an Oran berry. Where's an Oran tree when you need one? I must have seen a million on the way here…"

Flash obeyed him without question, mumbling something about being stronger than Typhoon thought. "I don't _need _an Oran berry…"

"Yes, you do. Your Blaze is already activating," Typhoon snapped at him. "Now stay there."

_Blaze? _Why was this Buizel talking about his father?

His vision blurred for a moment. He shook his head to clear it, but the rapid motion only made him feel tired. He yawned, leaning back… sleep wouldn't be so bad… oh, how he wanted to sleep…

"No you don't! Don't pass out on me!" Something hard and bitter-tasting was shoved into his mouth.

Flash tried to spit it out. _Leave me alone. I just want to sleep._

A paw pressed against his mouth, preventing him from spitting the hard thing out, and then another one came crashing down on his head. The blow forced him to bite into the strange object that had been forced into his mouth.

A spray of juice entered his mouth – both sweet and sour at the same time, and oddly bitter. Though the taste was odd, it seemed to refresh him, and he recognized the flavor immediately. It was an Oran berry.

He began to chew, slowly at first, and then more eagerly. The fruit was well-known for its healing powers. He had even eaten a few before.

When he had recovered enough, he opened his eyes and found himself staring at Typhoon, who looked distinctly relieved.

"Thanks," Flash muttered, feeling embarrassed. He stared intently at the ground, suddenly extremely interested in how dark and thick it was.

"It was no problem. It's my duty, as a rescuer, to help Pokémon in need. Besides, I couldn't let you faint in the middle of a dungeon. Dragging an unconscious partner around is dangerous, especially with other feral Pokémon nearby," Typhoon said.

The Quilava stared at his paws, suddenly bashful. He had misjudged this Buizel at first, thinking that he was just another hopeless fan of rescue teams. However, Typhoon had proven to be more than that.

"Um, by the way… I don't think I told you my name." Flash felt even more embarrassed at admitting that he had forgotten to introduce himself. "I'm Flash. I just moved here from Pokémon Square."

Typhoon gave him a grin. "I could tell from the accent."

"Is it really that noticeable?"

"Not to anyone who lives in Silvermoon Heights. We're used to rescue teams from all over. Besides, the only really noticeable accent is the Treasure Town one," Typhoon replied.

"Oh." Flash felt relieved.

After a long pause, Typhoon finally said, "We should get moving again. We're already conspicuous – there aren't any Quilava or Buizel who live in Diamond Cove. The dungeon Pokémon will be getting suspicious by now."

Flash rose to his paws and was relieved to see that he was no longer wobbling unsteadily. "You promised earlier that you'd tell me about Team Dragon and everything while we were walking."

"I didn't plan on getting beaten up by a Taillow!" Typhoon nudged his shoulder in a teasing sort of way. "But, yeah, I can tell you about everything. We just have to keep moving."

They ducked back under the cover of the trees. Most of the feral Pokémon lived by the lake, Typhoon explained, so they should be safe there.

"What's with the feral Pokémon, anyways?" Flash asked, stepping around a fallen log. He eyed it suspiciously, unnerved by the unnaturally vivid color of the lichen that grew on its bark.

"Well, I'm really not sure," the Buizel admitted, somewhat sheepishly. He leaped over the same log without glancing at it. "But I do know that living in a mystery dungeon influences their minds, somehow."

Flash shuddered. "Creepy." He glanced around at the trees with their terrible twisted beauty. It wouldn't surprise him if the eerie perfection of the dungeon drove normal Pokémon to madness.

He made a mental note to escape the dungeon as quickly as possible.

Flash changed the topic quickly. "What about the warping-stones? I touched one back on the first floor, and the rock melted away before my eyes! Then the entrance sealed itself up again."

Typhoon frowned. "Rescuers and explorers refer to them as staircases, though only one type of mystery dungeons have staircases. Basically, they warp you to the next floor, or make it visible to you." He pushed past some ferns. "And it's part of the mystery dungeon phenomenon that you can't go back once you go forward."

The phrase sounded familiar. The Quilava ducked underneath a low-hanging branch, pondering on it.

"It's a saying," Typhoon explained. "You know – 'once you go forward, there's no going back.' It applies to both mystery dungeons and decision-making."

"Oh."

Typhoon paused, peering past a tree trunk, and then continued on. "And you said you wanted to know who Team Dragon was?"

Flash nodded in response, kicking aside a small, shiny pebble.

"Well, they're basically the second-best team in Silvermoon Heights, and probably the most famous. They graduated from the Rescue Academy years ago, though they still hang around to help with the hardest missions." Typhoon paused, his eyes gleaming. "Everybody knows who they are."

"I don't," mumbled Flash, feeling incredibly stupid again.

"Their members are Shimmer the Charizard, Millennium the Dragonite, and Ravage the Salamence. Does that sound familiar?" Typhoon ducked under a low branch and paused to glanced back at the Quilava.

_Charizard?_

Typhoon grinned at his expression. "Yep, you met Shimmer. She was the one who saw you run into the river."

"I didn't _run_ intoit! I… just… fell," Flash protested lamely.

"I'm not teasing you about it. That would be just hypocritical. I once ran straight into a rock wall before, you know. And I've nearly fallen off the side of the Silvermoon plateau a million times." Typhoon gave him a reassuring grin.

The memory of the Charizard's ice-blue eyes drifted back into Flash's mind. He shivered and tried to banish the image to the back of his mind, looking away from the Buizel.

And caught sight of a large stone, which looked very out of place in the middle of a forest.

"Oh! Is that the warping- I mean, staircase?" Flash asked, pointing at it.

Typhoon cheered. "Yeah! Come on, Flash, we're nearly out of here!"

They charged over to it together, though the water-type barred Flash from touching by holding out a paw.

"You should know that, once we go to the next floor, the feral Pokémon will get tougher. They get stronger the deeper you go into a mystery dungeon," Typhoon warned.

_Stronger than the Taillow? _Flash made a mental note to avoid the dungeon Pokémon whenever it was possible.

"It won't be too bad if we're together, though," the Buizel said, his face brightening again. "We make a great team."

"We do," Flash agreed. And it was true. If not for Typhoon, he would be hopelessly lost by now, and maybe the dungeon would have influenced his mind. And, if the Buizel hadn't been there, then the Taillow would probably have killed him.

By saving his life, Typhoon had earned Flash's friendship and respect.

"So, what are we waiting for?" the Quilava asked, reaching out a paw. "Let's go!"

Typhoon took it. And, together, they touched the stone.

Both of them were unaware what they would be getting into.

* * *

><p><strong>The chapter name is awful, but I couldn't think of anything better. I was originally going to call it "The Buizel and the Taillow," though that was too stupid even for me.<strong>

**By the way, Diamond Cove is five floors long, and the next three will **_**not **_**be as long as the first two were. I'll probably be able to fit them all in one big chapter so that you guys won't have to suffer through much more dungeon-crawling.**

**So… expect a long chapter next time!~**


	7. Author's Note

**Sorry, guys.**

**I haven't updated in a while because some events happened in real life that made it impossible for me to write on a regular basis – the death of a family member, the diagnosis of a family friend with cancer, a nasty ear infection, and more, the only really good thing being the discovery of an addictive MMO (Pokémon Mystery Universe). What I have been able to come up with seemed rushed and lacked quality.**

**So, basically, I'm putting **_**The Rescue Academy**_** on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time. I may discontinue it and I may not. Hopefully, I will be able to continue as soon as I find the time, but there are no guarantees.**

**Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed the fic. I'll try to update soon once most of the major issues are resolved.**

**~Sapphire Flare **


	8. Final Author's Note

**Sorry, everyone.**

**I can't continue **_**The Rescue Academy**_** anymore.**

**Though I want to, real-life issues have made it impossible. What I have been able to come up with has been rushed and hurried, and nothing seems right.**

**I will miss Flash, Typhoon, and my readers – especially Zoeten and Penny From Heaven14, who have stuck with me since the beginning – but I can't continue.**

**I won't be retiring from forever, though. I have been helping my friend Silver Flygon write her own fic, **_**Heart of the Storm –**_** basically helping her with the ideas via email. Like the Newleaf Academy. I told her to make an Academy like mine. **

**So if you want to see any activity from me, even if it's a little, check out **_**Heart of the Storm. **_**Silver and I have been told that our writing styles are similar, so any fan of TRA might just like it.**

**I hope all of you have a wonderful New Year. **

**~Sapphire Flare**


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